All good things must come to an end I suppose. That’s more than likely what most Sony fans were thinking when Sony Japan announced that they were ending maintenance and repair services for the PlayStation 2, an 18 year old console that many still consider to be the greatest video game console of all time. The system has been out of production since 2012, however the company has been continuing to support it through various services, such as the aforementioned maintenance and repair. With the removal of this service, this officially ends all support from Sony for the PlayStation 2.
Back in June, the company sent out notices to any and all PS2 owners that they had until August 31 to fill out an application for them to have their console fixed one more time. Once the form is filled out, the owners need to send in their systems as soon as possible, as they have until September 7. After that, Sony will no longer accept systems for repair or maintenance. The company’s has updated their notice of termination on the PS2 to reflect this. It’s important to note that this notice is entirely in Japanese. In addition, Sony has also mention that it may not be possible for all consoles to be repaired due to lack of parts that are necessary for the 18 year old system.
To continue the service and maintenance of the system long after it has stopped production is a commendable and respectable stance to take, especially in such a demanding market for progression and newer ideas, as video games are evolving and changing at an accelerating rate. The PS2 was released way back in March of 2000 in Japan, with the U.S. getting it later in the Fall that year. The system went on to be come the best selling video game console of all time, beating out long time stalwarts such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, its successor the Super Nintendo, and even the Sega Genesis.
The console boasted some of the all time classics, such as God of War, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Kingdom Hearts, Shadow of the Colossus, Jak and Daxter, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Final Fantasy X. And that’s just a few of the games that the system had, there is so much more that it offered. Even when the next generation of consoles were released, the PS2 still held strong sales numbers, showing that gamer’s weren’t ready to let go of their beloved square box. Some of those gamer’s still won’t let it go to this day, and who can blame them. Sony kept the system alive for 18 years, and even though they no longer back the console, the love and support is still strong for the PS2. They’ll just have to look elsewhere for service and repair now.